Dear Mr. Kabbaz, First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to write the answers and to share your knowledge with us. Very much appreciated. Regarding the drop and darts, If I understand correctly, the best seamstress/ster would achieve drops of up to 14 in. without the use of darts, whereas a less competent one can only go around it by sewing darts. So basically darts are not a sign of a quality shirt, but just a styling option, just like pleats are. Very interesting. On the buttoning of casual shirts sans tie, your assertions make sense. Many men unbutton the 1st button and I though this was some kind of rule, good to know this is not necessarily the case. Indeed, collars tend to rest in a sloppy manner with the 1st button undone. What you say about the use of interlining, to provide better lay of the collar when worn open, I find most interesting. Thanks. MCA

Great post, thanks. Â I officially nominate it be added to the HOF. Â Couple of follow ups:

Quote:

2] Exclusively single-needle tailoring

How can this be recognized?

Quote:

10] No gussets

I understand that with your methods, a gusset would add nothing to the shirt. Â On lesser shirts (ie, up to $200.) does a gusset add anything structurally? Â And I certainly can't imagine that it *detracts*. Â

Quote:

Hence the necessity for the awful armhole design and the large armhole dimension.

I'm sure there are others here with this same problem: Â I spent too much money on shirts before knowing about this board, and am loathe to simply toss them aside. Â Can a tailor fix this after the fact? Â Even if it were to cost, say, as much as a replacement shirt. Thanks again for the great info. Tom

Many thanks for sharing this with us and I greatly appreciate you using size 15.5/34 as a reference This has been a great beginning of my Sunday. One lingering question I've had: Wearing shirts in the smaller sizes has got me thinking about how a shirt should reflect the proportions of the smaller and slimmer wearer. One of the tricks attributed to the Duke of Windsor's tailor was that he was able to make him look good even if he was on the short side. The magic was simply to keep all proportions appropriate for the Duke's frame. Is there a guideline/tradition regarding, for example, the front placket width, cuff length and height of yoke ? I've got a suspicion that most RTW shirts will use the same front placket and cuffs for all their sizes. This will leave a short armed 14.5 looking like he's more petite than he really is, with cuffs up to his elbows and the placket covering half of his front. I'll sneak in another question that I don't expect you to answer, but here goes: What do you feel about those carved-in-stone rules that Flusser and others state regarding the relation between the shape of a face an its optimal collar type? My view is that it's a lot of manure, except in the extreme cases and 80% of people can wear the collar they like regardless of their facial structure. The outliers, such as those with the longest of faces should perhaps stay away from extreme point collars and people in possession of a few extra chins should perhaps stay away from the full spread collar. I'll admit that the shape of the face is a factor but in most cases, other factors will overshadow it. BjÃ¶rn

Alex, Interesting reading as always. How much magnification would one need to be able to detect these imperfections in shirting material? Could it be done with a 10x gem loupe? Also, could one learn how to spot these imperfections simply by examining some high quality fabrics followed by some of lower quality?

How much magnification would one need to be able to detect these imperfections in shirting material? Could it be done with a 10x gem loupe?

I have used a 5x and a 10x, but I actually prefer my printers screen-checker glass which magnifies a square inch. The gem loupe is so small in circumference that you really can't see very much. The magnifying light we use for monogramming is also great because it is 7" across, but it isn't much magnification. It can also be done with the naked eye if the eye is trained - or at least it could when my eyes were in their thirties. Also, you really have to be more specific about what you are looking for. Cloth is really very interesting when magnified and there is a great deal to look at.

Quote:

Also, could one learn how to spot these imperfections simply by examining some high quality fabrics followed by some of lower quality?